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334. Square One Brewery – IPA India Pale Ale
Jun03

334. Square One Brewery – IPA India Pale Ale

We’ve already stopped at Urban Chestnut, Six Row, and The Stable, so our next stop on our mini tour of St. Louis microbreweries was Square One Brewery.  I’ve been here a few times, and there’s something about how these tap handles line up with the arched window that I find artistic.  Oh, and the beer here pretty good too.  However, much like we discovered at Six Row, it seemed that the selection was limited to the...

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326. Rogue Ales – Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale
Jun01

326. Rogue Ales – Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m vice president of the ABNormal Brewers homebrew club here in town.  Tonight we have our monthly steering meeting to discuss our plans for the next meeting.  It’s a great chance to get together to discuss topics for the meeting, as well as try some of the good beers on tap at Fat Jack’s. Location: On tap at Fat Jack’s in Bloomington, IL. Numbers: 6.2% ABV, 80 IBUs, 75...

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322. Lucky Bucket Brewing – IPA
May29

322. Lucky Bucket Brewing – IPA

If you’ve been following this blog, you may have noticed a lot of reviews lately, and they’ve been a few weeks old.  I’ve been really trying to get caught up, and finally have.  It’s Memorial Day weekend, and I’ve been planning to homebrew for the first time in over 6 months.  I’ve got the boil going and it was time to take a break and grab a beer.  My beer fridge is packed, as I’ve been...

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307. Harpoon Brewery – Harpoon IPA Draft
Apr24

307. Harpoon Brewery – Harpoon IPA Draft

I had a nice weekend at home, but I’m back out on the road for work again this week.  The storms throughout the Midwest have been awful, so I’m not sure we’re going to get out of DFW on time.  That gave us plenty of time to have a nice dinner at Pappadeaux Seafood House in the airport.  Fortunately, they had these very large glasses and this Harpoon IPA on tap to pass the time until we find out what time we’ll...

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302. The Abbey Brewing Co – Immaculate IPA Draft
Apr20

302. The Abbey Brewing Co – Immaculate IPA Draft

I’ve got a “day off” in Miami, so I decided to head down to South Beach and get in a little run and a little sun (despite the fact that I had my laptop there with me to get in a little work).  After a morning on the beach, and getting a nice sunburn, I looked to see if there might be a good brewpub or microbrewery nearby.  That’s how I stumbled across The Abbey Brewing Co. As I took tasting notes on my phone, I...

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296. Stone Brewing – Cali Belgique IPA Draft
Apr07

296. Stone Brewing – Cali Belgique IPA Draft

Last night I was at the Stone Brewing kick off event at Fat Jack’s.  I found out they also had an event at Medici in Normal, and tonight I’m at Medici for a “Tweetup” for an upcoming social media conference – @Midwest – I’m participating in.  The last Belgian IPA I decided to try here – Flying Dog Raging Bitch – I really, really liked, so I thought I’d give the one from Stone...

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285. (512) Brewing – (512) IPA Draft
Mar09

285. (512) Brewing – (512) IPA Draft

When I checked into the Downtown Austin Residence Inn for the beginning of the SXSW Interactive Festival, I got a coupon for a couple free drinks at the attached Champions bar and grill. So, my friend Robert and I headed to the bar before dinner. Fortunately, they had some local brews on tap, so I got a chance to try this local IPA. Numbers: 7% ABV, 65 IBUs Appearance & Aroma: It was a somewhat hazy brown-orange color with a...

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282. Widmer Brothers – Broken Halo IPA
Mar05

282. Widmer Brothers – Broken Halo IPA

I’m still sitting in the Austin, Texas airport, now watching the second half of the Missouri-Kansas game in the bar just outside of security. Unfortunately, my Tigers are down, and it doesn’t look good. However, the bar was almost empty, so I could relax and enjoy sipping on this brew during the second half. After having the Shiner Bohemian Black Lager I was looking for something a bit hoppy. Numbers: 6% ABV, 45 IBUs,...

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276. Ballast Point – Sculpin IPA India Pale Ale Draft
Feb23

276. Ballast Point – Sculpin IPA India Pale Ale Draft

Tonight I’m at Fat Jack’s for our monthly steering meeting for the ABNormal Brewers.  I like that they usually have some different beers on tap, and tonight was no exception.  I felt like something hoppy, so I decided to go for one of the only IPAs on the list. Numbers: 7% ABV, 70 IBUs Appearance & Aroma: It was slightly hazy and golden-straw colored.  It had a very thick, creamy, bright-white head on it, which left...

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267. MacTarnahan’s – Summer Grifter India Pale Ale IPA
Jan23

267. MacTarnahan’s – Summer Grifter India Pale Ale IPA

When I went to Oregon for my Brewmaster Cuisinternship this summer, I asked my friend Betty to send back several bottles I got while at Full Sail.  When shipping the bottles back for me, she slipped this one in along with them.  I think she’s a fan of MacTarnahan’s since she brought out their Amber Ale when we went to lunch in Portland, and she sent me a bottle of their Winter Hum Bug’r Porter as a pay off on a bet. ...

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263. Stone – Stone IPA India Pale Ale
Jan13

263. Stone – Stone IPA India Pale Ale

As I mentioned a few months ago, a friend from San Diego mailed me three Stone beers for my challenge (Thanks again David!).  This one was hiding in the back of the beer fridge, because I was really looking forward to it.  I wanted to make sure it would be enjoyed at a time when I could really savor it.  Especially after having the Ruination, I was excited to get a chance to try this one. Numbers: 6.9% ABV, 70 IBUs Appearance &...

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262. Green Flash Brewing – Le Freak Ale
Jan11

262. Green Flash Brewing – Le Freak Ale

I announce each of my posts on Twitter (@1KBeers), and recently got a suggestion via Twitter from @Lauren_BILLYves – who as it turns out, is Lauren Hinkley, the daughter of Green Flash Brewing founders Mike and Lisa Hinkley.  Obviously, she suggested I try a brew from Green Flash Brewing, and specifically, Le Freak.  The bottle says, “Extreme ale converging San Diego-style imperial pale ale and Belgian-style...

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260. Avery – duganA IPA Draft
Jan10

260. Avery – duganA IPA Draft

I’m at Fat Jack’s tonight for our monthly ABNormal Homebrewers meeting.  While we’re discussing English Pale Ales at the meeting tonight, I thought I’d kick it off with something fairly flavorful and big.  I’ve liked almost everything I’ve had from Avery so I took a low risk and went for this one. Numbers: 8.5% ABV, 93 IBUs, 1.076 O.G., Hops – Chinook, Centennial and Columbus, Malts –...

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254. Potosi Brewing – Potosi Snake Hollow India Pale Ale IPA
Jan04

254. Potosi Brewing – Potosi Snake Hollow India Pale Ale IPA

I’ve mentioned in a couple previous reviews that my friend Jim took a trip to Wisconsin and brought several beers back for me to try.  This was one of a few he brought me from Potosi brewing, in Potosi, WI. Numbers: 7% ABV, 70 IBUs Appearance & Aroma: This was golden yellow and extremely clear with a decent sized, bright white, foamy head, which left some nice lacing on the glass.  There appeared to be plenty of carbonation...

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249. Rogue Ales – Yellow Snow IPA Draft
Dec29

249. Rogue Ales – Yellow Snow IPA Draft

I’m at our ABNormal Brewers steering meeting again tonight, and that’s another chance to try a new brew here at Fat Jack’s in downtown Bloomington.  There are a few beers on tap that I haven’t had yet, so I thought I’d go for this one first… mainly because I kind of liked the name of it. As you would expect, it was golden yellow in color and was clear.  There was a soapy-looking foam head, and there...

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248. Stone – Ruination IPA India Pale Ale
Dec28

248. Stone – Ruination IPA India Pale Ale

As I mentioned a few months back, a friend of mine sent me several Stone beers from San Diego.  I’ve really been looking forward to these, but unfortunately, they got caught in the back of the beer fridge, so I thought it was time to break them out.  I won’t list what the entire back of the bottle says (I posted it in the photo below), but here’s a little piece, “Stone Ruination IPA. So called because of the...

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246. Sierra Nevada – 2010 Celebration Fresh Hop Ale
Dec26

246. Sierra Nevada – 2010 Celebration Fresh Hop Ale

I spent most of the day cleaning up and setting up my kids new Christmas presents, so I was ready for a good beer.  This one came highly recommended, so I picked up one in a mix-a-six.  The bottle says, “Celebration ale is a special ale for the holidays. Featuring the first hops of the growing season, this pioneering IPA is full of complex flavors and aromas from the generous use of whole cone American hops. 6.8% ABV” It...

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242. Blackstone Brewing – Dry Hopped Red Draft
Dec23

242. Blackstone Brewing – Dry Hopped Red Draft

My family and I have made our annual trek to St. Louis to visit my parents for the holidays.  I brought along a few Christmas beers to enjoy, but was nicely surprised that my sister had brought a growler back for me from Blackstone Brewery in Nashville.  She was there a couple weeks ago, and called to see what kind I wanted, this one sounded good.  I was only nervous that it was in the growler for a couple of weeks before I got it. ...

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237. Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse – Captain’s Choice IPA Draft
Dec16

237. Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse – Captain’s Choice IPA Draft

I’m traveling for work today, and will be right around the Dallas Fort Worth Airport (DFW) the entire 21 hours we’ll be in Texas.  We arrived around 5:30 pm, and as Steve, my co-worker, and I have traveled together quite a bit, the first thing he did was search for the nearest brewpub to our location.  He found Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse just north of the airport in Grapevine, TX.  It’s in a huge...

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234. Rex Beverage Holdings – Horney Goat Hopped Up ‘N Horney
Dec12

234. Rex Beverage Holdings – Horney Goat Hopped Up ‘N Horney

I had a great time at the ABNormal brewers holiday party last night, and got to try a few new beers.  Unfortunately, it’s tough to do a review the beers in a situation like that.  Today the snow is coming down and the wind is blowing super hard.  We’re literally under a “Blizzard Warning.”  So, at lunch I tried this beer, another one my friend Jim got me while he was on his trip to Wisconsin. The color was...

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